Vacuum fuel-feeding system for gas-engines.



winrar suun'rmrr, or Meurs. nnnroxs. vacuna runt-unanime srsrnm ron, enamorarme.

I' spamrun qt Lm" man. Patented l5.591,25, 191 I1, i

Application ma iwan is, w17. semi m. 154,159.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Winnie SHun'rnu'rr, a citizen of the United States, and e4 resident of Moline, in the county of -Rock lIsland. and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvementsin Vacuum Fuel- Feeding Systems for Gas-Engines,'of which the following -is a specification.

My inventlon relates to vacuum fuel feedin systemsifor s engines and particularly to n improved orm of float for coperating .with the other elements of the system to control the oil flow with greater certainty and' efliciency.

In the class of fuel feeding systems referred to, closed floats are now,usuallly constructed of thin sheet metal, anii where such floats are closed or sealed there has been opnsiderable trouble and uncertainty of operation. This is on account of theexisting extreme differences of pressure betweenv the inside of the float itself and the outside of the float. When the float is sealed its interior is primarily. at atmospheric pressure, but as the float chamber or the s ace outside of the float is subjected to re uced pressures or vacuum eiect during operation of the engine with which the fuel feed mechanism is associated, the metal of the float is subjected to continuous and considerable strain. As soon as the pressure outside of the float is reduced below ntmos heric pressure, the air within the float ten s to expand andsu'ch expansion pressure is exerted on'the `float walls. Then, when the pressure outside the float is again restored to that of the atmosphere, the ,float walls are released from strain. Asa result of such continuous strain and release-from strain, the float walls are 40 constantly vibrated and eventually 'crack or break', and then the certainty of operationV ind theetliciency of the float is destroyed,

. for as soon as the outside of the float is subjected to vacuum' -the expansion within the ioat will force out some of the air, and if the air leak ,is below` the level of the fuel fluid, Huid will be sucked into the float-sis soon as the suction or vacuum eiectis removed from 4outside the float. When the air the float is again expanded and more air esca es, more fluid will be sucked'into the Hout w en the pressure at the outside thereof is in-` ity of the float structure, and it's `iovement relative @the valves .to be control`4` ed there- ,o therefore to construct a float or to provide n n `attachment therefor which will at al1 times e ualize the pressure. between the outsideanv the inside of the float tothereby eliminate any strains on the oat walls and leakage therethrough, and which im roved construction or attachment will irnme iately remove from the float any liquid thatmight enter therein through small leaks that mi h t occur, as for example on account of ade ectlve seam, or corrosion, or throughlpores.

Morcin detail, my invention involves the application of an open-ended tube or pipe extending from the bottom of the -closed `float to the outside thereof at some point which will always be above Vthe level of the fuel fluid. ,With this `arrangement, any vacuum effect Within the vfloat chamber can be communicated `to the float interior and the pressure equalized, thus avoiding strains. If, by chance, an' fluid should have -found` its way into the' oat, the suction. will draw it out to the exterior through the pipe. g5 On the accompanyin drawing I 4have y shown my "invention app ied to the float of a fuel feeding mechanism such as is disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 48,769 filed September 3, 1915, but it is evident that such a float can b as readily used in fuel feeding systems of different construction, and is in fact capable of being used in any system where there is a variable pressure. In the drawing- Figure 1 is a vertical diametral Asectional view of the feed controlling mechanism', and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the float. Referring to the drawing, 10 represents a sheet metal tank of cylindrical form open at its upper end and Provided through-its base with an outlet pipe 11 which jn-practice is v connected with the carbureter of a gas Yengine. Within theftank lis 4the cylindrical float vessel 12 closedat lthe top andlbottom'y'lq and supported on brackets: 13,". from the tank. VThe vessel 12 isfof slightly less diameter than' the tBl-ltto lesive;the-1Y annular-- vertical passagers y. 4 phere' from the sparge 175 ofthe i the tank 10. Mounted on the the level of top wall 0f the float vessel 12 is a frame 17 in the form of a casting,y providing` the piston chamber 18 fomthe piston 19 which is mounted onthe valve stein 20 extending axially chamber and vessel with jecti'ng through the guide passageway 21 in the traine i7. The frame has the laterally extrndin threaded passageway 22 for receiving t e nipple 23 which is adapted by coupling 24 for connection with pipe 25 which in practice leadsY to the manifold Vof the engine. A small passageway 26 connects the inner end of the passageway 22 with the upper part of the piston chamber 18, and in the nip le 23 there is e plug 27 which has a line re( ucing passageway 28 therethrough for controlling the flow of air from thefloat vessel to the manifold, The piston 19 does not lit tightly in its chamber but is of Sullicicntly reduced diameter to lcavea very line restzif'tei'l annular passageway between it and the chamber walls for the flow of air.

tank, which in practice is below ils upper end pro- The upper part of the stem 20 has thelongitudinal passageway 29 therethrough connected at its ends with the exterior of the stem by and 31 respectively, the arrangement Vbeing such that when the piston has moved upwardly a distance in chamber 18 the'upper port 30'will be in communication withalmosphere, and when the piston is down the port 30 will be inside the opiening 2l in the frame 1T, so that when `the piston is up the float vessel will have connection with atmosphere, and when the piston is ydown such atmosphere connection will be cut oil'.

Extending upwardly a distance from the lower end of the valve stein '20 is the longitudinal passageway 32 connected with the lateral port 33, and the base of the vessel 12 carries :i block Biliavin an opening through which the lower en o the valve stem extends. The arrangement is such that when the piston 19 is up and the fioat vessel is connected with atmosphere. the port 33 will he nuove the block 34 to connect the float vessel with the space 15,y and when the piston 1) is down the port' 33 will be insidel the block 34' to disconnectthe float vessel from the space 15.

The vulve stem carries upper and lower` abutment plates 35 and 36 and a cylindrical closed float 37 of sheet inetal Vreceives thc stein between the `plates through its central passagewav or core 38, and is readilyy slid-` able on the stein between the plates, it being of less height than the distance between the plates. The arrangement is such that when there vessel the float plate 255 to shift to con nect passageway will he raised against the the valve steni 2O upwardly through the i upper and lower lateral ports 30 'such cerncd, while at is sufficient oil in the 'loat 29 with the atmos-` phem, and when the oil level decreases be low a minimum the plato will eiiga lower abutment pluto 86 and will ial'uft` the valve stem to its lower position. .During o ration of the fuel feed mechamsm descri ed, the floot will be up-wh'en there is sullicient oil in the float vessel, and the stein will be up sufficiently to expose the air inlet port 30 to atmosphere', and the suction of' the engine manifold acting throu the 'restricted passageway 28 will draw 1n air through the passageway 29, and the suction elect on the oil inlet pipe 16 will be destroyed s0 that 'the oil stops flowing. As soon as the level of the oil' drops in the vessel 12 and the float sinks into en gement with the plate 36, the stem will. be shiteddownwardly to bring the ort- 30 within the frame 17 so that tliereaiter the suctionwill be effective to draw in oil through the pipe 16 to refill the vessel 12, When the stem is up and the suction .effect is'removed from the vessel 12 the' port 33 will be open to, the vessel and oil will flow therefrom through passageway 32 to the tank 10. When the stem is down the port 33 will Abe closed to the'vessel 12and (hiring this time the carbureter draws from the tank 10.

The closed float in a fuel feeding system like that described is thusA continually subjected to differences in pressure, the Hoet when constructed and sealed being at at mosplieric pressure on the inside, and when the floatis assembled in the Tfeeding mechanism it is alternately subjected to atmosphere and suction or vacuum on the, outside. and this causes the strainsand eventual crackinior breaking referred to liereinbefore.

escribing now the means for eliminating pressure differences and consequent strains and for draining the float of any fluid that might get therein, a simple and efficient ex )edicnt is to .provide a pipe 39 inside the iloat with its inner end 40 opening to tlie.,lowest point of the float und its upper end 41 extending through the float wall and-openin into the float chamber at a point where suc the level of the fluid in the lioat chamber.

With this arrangement', theoat is closed sofar as is association with the Huid is conthe Sametime the float interioris o )en through pipe 39 to the space in the-fuel Vessel above the fluid, und this prevents the existence of differences in pressure on the inside and outside of the The operation is evident. Suppose that, as shown on theV drawing, the float vessel is open to atmosphere through the passageway 29 in the raised stem. There will'then be atmospheric pressure at the inside and ou`t' side of the float. As soon as the fuel level drops and the float follows and causes clo, sure of the atmosphere inlet, and the suction the 1,241 ,use

becomes effective in the float vessely the air within the float at atmospheric pressure will immediately endeavor to escape and can readilT do so through the pi e 39 and tlow through the pipe will imme iately equalize the inside and outside pressures. Now, if by chance any fluid had leaked into the float, the air in the Heat as it expands and tries to escape would lirst have to eject such lluid'out of the float through the pipe 39 before it could itself escape. Thus every time the pressure outside the float is less than that on the inside, the excess pressure will first eject any luid from within the float and will then escape itself to make the pres-- sure at the inside equal to that at the outside.

Thus my improved lloat eliminates any pressure conditions which mi ht cause straining of the float walls an( eventual .leakage therethrough, and during operation of the fuel feed or other device in which the float is utilized any fluid which might enter is immediately discharged so that the specific gravity of the float remains constant and the Hout will always cooperate in the most ellicient manner with the valves or other elements.

l-Vithout limiting` `myself to the exact de tails of construction shown and described, I claim as follows:

l. The combination with a fluid container,v of a hollow float supported'by 'the fluid in said container und closed. to the direct entrance of fluid, means for intermittentlv changing the pressure in said container wit i reference to the pressure at the inside of .said float, and ineens controlled by auch diffffrvnces in pressure between the inside und outside of said lloat for preventing-the aerumulation of leakage fluid Within the float 2. The combination with n fluid container, ol" :i hollow float supported by the fluid in the container and closed to the direct cnlf'ernc of lluizl, means l'or alternately in crossing und dccreasiiu.; the pressure within the wntaincr with reference to the pressure within the float, and a pipe in said float eX temine from the interior to the exterior thcreo through which the interior and exterior pressure may equalize and through which Huid which may have leaked into the float is forced to the exterior during expansion within the float.

3. The combination with. a. fluid container, of a hollow Hoet supported by the fluid in the container and closed to the direct entrance of Huid, means for-alternately increasing and decreasing the pressure within the container with reference to the pressure within the float, and means forming a passageway from the interior of the float at the bottom thereof to the exterior thereof above theflluid level, through which passageway the outside and inside pressures may equalize and through which any fluid which may exterior during expansion within the Hoet.

fl. The combination with a closed hollow float, of a pipe open at one end to the float interior at the bottom thereof and cien at its other end to the exterior of the ont at the top thereof.

The combination with a fuel container, of a float supported hy the fuel in the container and closed te the direct entrance of fluid, said float having a passagewa open at one end to the float interior at the ottom thereof and open at its other end to the exterioi` of the float at a point above the fluid level.

6. The combination of a uel container, of l'luid pally filling said container, a sheet metal float guided to reciprocate in said container with the rising and falling fluid, means for subjecting the interior of the conminer alternately to ressure and vacuum, a. pipe leading from t e bottom of said float to the exterior thereof above the Huid level, said float bein otherwise entirjy closed to the air or the uid within the container.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8th day of March, A. n, 1911.

WILFRED SHU'RTLEFF.

c5 have leaked into the float is forced to the. 

